Miles Davis Quotes

You can't play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn't played

Keith, how does it feel to be a genius?

Jazz is like blues with a shot of heroin!

I've gotten hernias from drummers when they drop tempo.

If you got up on the bandstand at Minton's and couldn't play, you were not only going to be embarrassed by the people ignoring you or booing you, you might get your ass kicked.

I couldn't do "What's Love Got To Do With It", Tina Turner because it wasn't the right tempo; so I scratched it from the record. I wanted to do it about a year ago, but something happened.

At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.

I mean, it makes me sick when I see a white man sitting there smiling at me being entertaining, man. When I know what he's gonna do after he gets through. You know, when you see that thing on their face - like: "Entertain me." You know what I mean? Even the black guy that's trying to be white - even he can have that crap on his face.

You ever hear Buddy Miles play the drums? You know, he doesn't vary the tempo at all.

Everybody ought to listen to Benny [Carter]. He's a whole musical education.

I said to [Lionel] Richie, "Man, my wife says you must really respect women because you write such beautiful love songs."

My ego only needs a good rhythm section

[Prince] could very well be the Duke Ellington of Rock 'n' Roll.

You have to practice for a long time before you can learn to sound like yourself

It's not the note you play that's the wrong note - it's the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.

I would never try and play like Harry James, because I don't like his tone - for me. It's just white. You know what I mean? He has what we black trumpet players call a white sound. But it's for white music ... I can tell a white trumpet player, just listening to a record. There'll be something he'll do that'll let me know that he's white.

Jazz is the big brother of Revolution. Revolution follows it around.

In high school I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn.

They [police] do me like that all the time! "What you work for?".

That was my gift . . . having the ability to put certain guys together that would create a chemistry and then letting them go; letting them play what they knew, and above it.

I think the greatest sound in the world is the human voice.